On M List of Movie Reviews

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Maniac (1980)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 2/20

2/20: If you've ever heard of the term "video nasty," Maniac is a perfect example, having been banned in many countries.

Yes, it's an exploitation slasher picture that involves brazen misogynism, straight-up scalping, and brutal killing of women. I was surprised at some of the scenes that appeared to be far ahead of their time. However, I think it gives a rare insight into the mind of a serial killer; hence, Joe Spinell had done his homework. Many times, I'm reminded of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Besides Frank Zito getting atop the hood of a car and blowing Tom Savani's head away with a shotgun, the best and the most surreal scene is when Frank took a girl out for dinner and acted completely normal at the restaurant. That's why Joe Spinell was cast in two Godfather films, and I always knew he had talent. So was his eye for it, having discovered Sylvester Stallone and realized the potential that he had before Rocky made him an overnight star.

For Maniac, Joe Spinell was met with two unknown filmmakers who just wanted to make a throwaway horror film, yet he believed in the project so much that it eventually grossed $10 million against a budget of $350,000. Not bad for somebody who was the second highest paid actor in the cast for The Godfather despite having a very, very small role.

I want to like the movie a lot, but the pace is slow, causing me to be bored sometimes. Sometimes, the violence is pointless, so yeah...I can see why many critics took offense to it. Yet what's shown is close to real. So is Joe Spinell's seedy performance.

All in all, the pace of Maniac just needs to be sped up more.

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